The Switch – Published 2020

“When overachiever Leena Cotton is ordered to take a two-month sabbatical after blowing a big presentation at work, she escapes to her grandmother Eileen’s house for some overdue rest. Eileen is newly single and about to turn eighty. She’d like a second chance at love, but her tiny Yorkshire village doesn’t offer many eligible gentlemen.

Once Leena learns of Eileen’s romantic predicament, she proposes a solution: a two-month swap. Eileen can live in London and look for love. Meanwhile Leena will look after everything in rural Yorkshire. But with gossiping neighbours and difficult family dynamics to navigate up north, and trendy London flatmates and online dating to contend with in the city, stepping into one another’s shoes proves more difficult than either of them expected.

Leena learns that a long-distance relationship isn’t as romantic as she hoped it would be, and then there is the annoyingly perfect – and distractingly handsome – school teacher, who keeps showing up to outdo her efforts to impress the local villagers. Back in London, Eileen is a huge hit with her new neighbours, but is her perfect match nearer home than she first thought?” – Goodreads

MY THOUGHTS

Because I have no self control, I ordered this one from Book Depository because the US version doesn’t come out for a few days. Then, NetGalley added the audiobook for everyone to enjoy. So, here we are, two days before this book releases in the US, a paperback copy I’ve had for months and never opened, finally having finished reading this gem.

The audiobook for this one is delightful. I really enjoyed both narrators for this alternating perspectives novel.

I had really high expectations for this one after adoring The Flatshare, and this one didn’t disappoint. It’s a 5 star read for me, but it doesn’t top The Flatshare for me.

This one gives me the same vibes as The Holiday, one of my favorite movies. It’s a sweet, funny, endearing story of a granddaughter and grandmother who switch places (phones, homes, cities, responsibilities), and it’s wonderful.

If you’re looking for a sweet and low stress read, I highly recommend the audio for this one!

TW: cancer, loss of a loved one

Very well written book with great narrators. It’s a cute original love story of grandmother and granddaughter. Unfortunately, it didn’t keep my interest, there were moments when I couldn’t concentrate to listen to it.

*I received a copy of this audiobook from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for a fair review.

The Switch⭐️
Elieen is sick of being 79 And her granddaughter Leena just lost her job and needs a fresh start.
Leena starts setting up a dating profile for her grandmother but soon realizes that there are not many eligible bachelors in the country side. But London has many older men waiting. Leena suggests that Elieen takes Leenas flat and starts finding love and an adventure while Leena takes care of Elieens projects in the countryside including taking care of her mother who she doesnt get along with.
It will be an experiment for both of them.

This was really cute. I love their relationship and wish I had a relationship with my grandma like that. So real.
I think this is a great book for any age and could really bond generations.

Thank you to Netfelly via McMillion Audio forsending me an ARC cope of The Switch by Beth Oleary. Is already available for your reading pleasure.

Thank you NetGalley and publishers for an audiobook copy of this book. All opinions are my own.


This was such a sweet and cute book. I loved the originality of this story and adored the main characters. The setting was also perfect for where thus love story could take place. I would highly recommend for those who love a meet-cute or sweet love stories.

Perfect for a beach vacation or cold, rainy day.

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First, the story was amazing. The premise is so unique and interesting, and the development is wonderfully charming, deeply emotional, and surprisingly funny. I have to say I really loved both main ladies, how they adapt and learn and grow, and how they go against any preconceived notion about what they should be.
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Second, the romantic aspects made me swoon. Especially Eileen's love life. So, so good, I can't tell anything else because spoilers, but, really, it was kinda unexpected but everything made so much sense! And Leena, dealing with her relationship with her long time boyfriend (an a**hole) and her new self and interests, it really spoke to my soul.
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Third, I have to tell you that the friendships and community this book presents are everything that's good in the world. Really, one of my favorite aspects of the story.
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And finally, since I received an audiobook copy from Netgalley, I have to talk about the narration. It has two narrators, one for each leading lady, and I loved both, how they narrated, portrayed the characters, and how clearly they spoke and enunciated. Also, Eileen's narrator was particularly soothing, whick took the listening experience to a whole new level.
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Overall, I loved this book. I loved it a lot. It my first experience with the author, and I'm definitely looking forward to read The Flatshare soon.
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Thanks Netgalley for the copy.

I enjoyed this story of a granddaughter and grandmother switching homes. The audiobook version of The Switch provided an easy and enjoyable listening experience due to the two wonderful narrators.

I found the story of Leena and Eileen engaging. Leena came to live in her grandmother Eileen’s cottage in a small village, and elderly, Eileen, agreed to the switch and moved into Leena’s London flat. The Switch was running on all cylinders for me. I experienced a range of emotions while reading this story. Those emotions, and the feelings they evoked, kept me reading and wanting to know what happens next.

As a story: sweet, charming, and endearing. As an audio book: artful, well-acted, splendid! Daisy Edgar-Jones and Alison Steadman bring Leena and Eileen to warm, full-dimensional life. Certainly comparable in tone and theme to The Flatshare, The Switch felt a bit more complex, and slightly more character-driven. Recommended as a feel-good romance with depth.

I really enjoyed this story and feel like Beth O’Leary came out strong in her sophomore release! I love that this book was about releasing your responsibilities you feel to your family/job and taking care of yourself in a meaningful way. I highly recommend it as an enjoyable quick read with great lessons along the way.

What amazing idea for a story. This reminded me a little of freaky Friday.

There are a few laugh out loud moments in this book. One of the was Leena's first walk with Hank, it was so funny.

The descriptions are brilliant of how things progress and how the relationships unfold.

I particularly like the friendships between Bee and Lena and Eileen and the eccentric Letitia. Leena and Bee's friendship is very similar to my bestie and I.

Eileen's projects and love of lists made me laugh because I can really relate to that. Who doesn't love a good list.

There is one character, who I wont spoil for others, but it's interesting how the story can change and you can like a character at the start and hate them at the end.

You may need a tissue for the ending of this book. Fantastic read.

It's full of anxiety, loss, love, anger, frustration and some brilliantly annoying characters.

Oh i loved the audio! The narrators were so fantastic and really brought both Leena and her grandmother to life. The pacing was wonderful. I am so glad i was able to listen to this copy.

I loved this story and the premise of being able to start over only to find your way back home. Leena watches as she slowly lost herself on a different path in life, only to surprise herself and realize she lost herself a long time ago. Such a beautiful story.

The Switch is an endearing, warm story that I did enjoy. If you enjoy British accents, quaint villages, and happy endings then this is probably the book for you!

I listened to the audio book version of this and really enjoyed the narrators. I loved how there were two, one for Leena and one for her grandmother. This really helped make the story more real and endearing. I know a lot of people are raving about this story and I really did like it. I think what kept this from being a four star read for me was that I had a little trouble connecting to Leena and her choices/feelings. That’s probably just a personal thing, but I kept wanting her to make different choices and it was a bit frustrating. The story was a bit sadder than I anticipated, but mostly what you read in the synopsis is what happens in the book. I kept really waiting for more to happen and it just didn’t. I think I just wanted a little bit more from the story.

Overall, I did enjoy the novel and I thought the narration was wonderful.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced readers copy of this book!

The Switch was quite an enjoyable read. It took me a little while to connect with the characters and storyline. There was a lot of "laying the groundwork" involved. However, once it was all set and the story started to build, I was pulled in and found it wonderful.

The premise of the story is that Eileen Cotton and her granddaughter, Leena trade places for two months. Each of them needs to "get away" from their everyday life and current obligations and re-discover themselves. This book doesn't contain a tremendous amount of action, yet these two women evolved greatly over the course of the story. There was humor thrown in along with the serious topics.

The Switch leads us through how grief can alter your impressions of even the most basic things. You can't outrun grief, you have to deal with it sooner or later. When these ladies process the loss in their life, it strengthens them and allows them both to see things very differently.

I specifically listened to the audio version of The Switch and it was done quite well. The narration was perfect for the characters and it lent to the authenticity of the story. I think in this situation, I may have enjoyed the audio more than actually reading the book. It was a richer experience, in my opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for this audio ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I’m not much of a contemporary/romance reader, but when I saw this was available on netgalley as an audiobook, I jumped at the chance to listen to a light and easy read. This was my first time reading/listening to a O’Leary book and I loved how it made me want to be in England and relax in an English village as stated in the book. O’Leary’s writing was so well done and truly took you into the lives of the main characters with ease. Such a relaxing listen and read. I can’t wait to read her other books. I felt constantly engrossed in the storyline of each character. I also laughed out loud a few times, which I never do with books! The narrators were fantastic too!

*thank you to the author, publisher, and netgalley for the audiobook to review

The Switch is about a 79 year old woman who swaps places with her twentysomething granddaughter. When I first read the description, I thought this was going to be a Freaky Friday (one of my favorite childhood movies!) type story where they literally inhabit each other's bodies. That's not what happens though, as Eileen and her granddaughter Leena only switch by living in each other's houses and associating with each other's friends. Once I got over my disappointment that actually body swapping was not happening in this story, I found it to be a super cute and sweet story about family, life and love.

My favorite parts of this book were the sections narrated by Eileen. This surprised me a bit as I expected to be more invested in Leena's story. But Eileen was such a fun and refreshing character, and I really loved seeing the world from her point of view. Eileen's romantic relationships were more interesting to me than Leena's, which was also an unexpected surprise! I felt like Leena's relationship was a bit rushed in its development, and I wish we had more time to see it develop.

Overall this was an endearing, feel good book with a quirky cast of characters (both young and old alike). I didn't love it quite as much as The Flatshare, O'Leary's previous book, but I definitely found it to be an enjoyable and worthwhile read.

I loved this audiobook. Light listen, laugh out loud funny and characters you want to be friends with.
The concept was funny and that’s what made me what to listen to it. Lenas and her grandmother are both going through a rough time so they decided to swap life’s. Discovering along the way that it was Excatly what they needed.
I was laughing along with the characters as Lena navigated living her grandmothers life and Eileen was navigating London life.

What a delightful story! I laughed out loud multiple times throughout which was quite fun to do while on my long daily walks through the neighborhood. The narrators were perfect for the characters. I wish so much I could meet and become friends with Eileen and Leena! I am so glad a friend of mine reviewed this book first which encouraged me to pick it up. I hope this review does the same for someone else. It's worth it if you're looking for something light and heartwarming to listen to.

Thank you NetGalley, Beth O'Leary and Macmillan Audio for this audio book in return for an honest review!

This is a cute audiobook about Leena and her grandmother, Eileen, who are both going through a rough patch in life. They decide to switch homes and do something different for a few weeks. ❤️What I loved the most about the story is the character Eileen. She is 79 year old and she sounds like she has the energy of someone who is fifty. Her husband left her and she is not going to let her ruin her life. ❤️I loved that Eileen is actively involved in helping others in her community. ❤️I loved that she took risks and went to London on a new adventure. 🤣I thought it was funny that Eileen was not afraid to use the dating app. I found this story to be fun and enjoyable to listen to. If you are looking for a light and humorous read then I recommend this book to you. It comes out August 18, 2020.

I loved this book, having read the flat share by Berth O Leary I was keen to read the Switch, It was so well written and dealt with such sensitive topics and family relationships. Thanks for the ARC.

The Switch by Beth O’Leary
I listened to the audiobook version of this book and I loved it! The voice actors really pull you in, there is one each for Leena and Eileen and they were perfect for the roles!
This story follows Leena, put on a 2 month sabbatical to rest and recooperate after her sisters death. And Eileen, Leena’s Grandmother who, after her husband leaves her for another woman, she decides she needs an adventure! Leena proposes they switch lives for the 2 months, Eileen can have a London adventure and Leena can slow down in Yorkshire. Both go on a journey of discovery to find themselves and realise they might not know themselves as well as think!

Eileen was my favourite character, strong and sassy at 79 I loved hearing her thought, feelings and how exciting it can be to be 79 and single!

5/5 ⭐️
Recommend ✅

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This was such a fun, sweet and inspirational read. I loved the dual perspectives and instantly fell in love with both characters. I enjoyed watching both ladies overcome different obstacles and slowly change in positive ways throughout the story. I also appreciate the care the author took when exploring topics such as mental health, domestic issues, familial issues and the pain of loss. Will definitely be picking up more books by this author.